It took a long time before Rossie could regain her senses and cease down her cries a little bit, during which, Calleb only held her tight in his arms, whispering sweet nothings in to her ears, so that she would know that she was not alone now.
When Rossie stopped crying, her eyes were very red, as though her beast came to the surface. Her tears streamed down her cheeks and wetted Calleb's clothes earlier, but that was the last of the Gamma's concerns.
He reached into his backpack and pulled out a bottle of water for her, to moisten her dry throat, and when Rossie drank it absentmindedly, she choked suddenly because she swallowed the liquid together with her sobs.
Calleb patiently waited for her while observing their surroundings, to make sure there was nothing strange or an enemy nearby.
"It is all right now," Calleb said and kissed her temple and then helped her to stand up. "We should go from here now."
He was worried if their enemy managed to find them, they would be done for, as Calleb was not in his best condition where he could fight them off.
Rossie nodded and wiped her tears away from her face harshly, but Calleb stopped her movements and fixed her hair and wiped her tears more gently, as he patted the dirt off from her clothes.
"Stop being lovey dovey, we have to move now," the dwarf said in annoyance. He had been waiting for them to come out of their small bubble, but he couldn't help but remind them seeing they were being ultra slow. "She can cry all she wants after we go out of this d*mned forest."
Ignoring Nutdrouk's complaints, Calleb took the baby from Bree and cradled him in his arms. Right after he did so, the baby stretched out his tiny arms to touch his chin.
Calleb could see Raphael's green eyes staring back at him before the baby shut his eyes and gushed, while forcing his small thumb into his mouth.
For a moment, he felt overwhelmed by the sight of the baby.
'Raph, can you see? This is your first son. Don't worry, I will take good care of him…'
They really needed to go now. Just like what Nutdrouk said, Calleb wouldn't be able to protect them if there was a surprise attack and the dwarf swore on his life that he would abandon them if the danger was too much to handle.
He wouldn't sacrifice himself for them and Calleb believed his words. He wouldn't have a second thought to runaway and save his own a**. Typical of the dwarf.
"Let's go back," Nutdrouk grumbled, he stretched out his hands for them to take as he would teleport them all from this forest.
However, something startling happened before they could escape.
All of a sudden, an arrow was shot from a random direction which almost pierced through the dwarf's head if he was any taller than his pint-sized stature.
The dangerous arrow stuck at the tree behind him, as Nutdrouk knelt down and let out various profanities that he knew.
Seeing this unfriendly gesture, Calleb was on alert and out of instinct turned around to face their attacker, while standing in front of Rossie and Bree.
Even though he lost connection to his beast, but Calleb's enhanced senses were still working just fine. He could pick the scents from the air just fine and slightly relieved when he smelled a scent that he was familiar with.
"Ethan," Calleb called him and the boy came out from the dense patch of trees.
Ethan looked surprised and immediately opened his arms when his little sister rushed toward him, he hugged Rossie and both of them cried again.
On the other hand, Nutdrouk immediately stood up and tugged Calleb trousers as he nodded to the people who emerged from the place where Ethan came out, one by one.
It was the dragon people.
"We can't trust them," Nutdrouk mouthed his words, so it was only Calleb who could see it.
The Gamma understood this situation and swiftly pulled Rossie and Ethan closer to him, with Nutdrouk hiding behind them.
"Supreme Gamma!" Lord Bayle, with twenty of his man standing behind him, opened his arms to greet Calleb. His surprised expression was genuine, since he didn't think that Calleb would be here, finding Rossie before they did.
"That's how you should greet me? With an arrow?" He asked, as he took offense of what they had done.
"I am sorry for that," he said, bowing his body slightly, but the smirk on his lips told Calleb that he was mocking him. "I thought that small creature was about to hurt our beautiful Rossie."
"Save your bullsh*t for yourself," Calleb sneered, he pulled Rossie closer to him and also Ethan, who seemed didn't quite understand the situation now, yet he followed his subtle lead. "Where did you go when we fought those crazy beasts!?" he asked angrily.
However, before Calleb could hear Lord Bayle's answer, he felt a familiar feeling crept from his spine and then the scene in front of him became blurry before everything went dark.
A second later, when Calleb opened his eyes, he was sitting in the car with Nutdrouk beside him and the rest of their people in the back seat.
"Why did you teleport us? I haven't got to hear his answer!" Calleb growled at the dwarf. "That stupid cowardly creatures left us in the lurch and fled for their lives!" he grumbled in annoyance.
"What will you do if you know? You are not in a condition to fight them off, so stop being unreasonable and drive the car. You can deal with them when we meet Torak." The dwarf patted the steering wheel.
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The dwarf looked exhausted when they were finally back in their car after he teleported five people including one newborn and now he was snoring on the back seat, occupying the whole place as he didn't want to be bothered by what Calleb or the rest would do.
"Calleb, I have something to tell you," Ethan said when they stopped for gas.
"What is it?" he asked, while rummaging his pocket.
"I made a deal with the dragon shifter."
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Hope this year will bring more joy and happiness!
Love you all!
xoxo